Parnard

It looks like this.

Close to the bank of the river, a cluster of trees spread their branches above a pool of shade. In the gathering darkness, the figure hidden there is motionless, almost invisible in the gloom. A lone bird sings its farewell to the sun as it soars overhead. The wind casts a series of ripples across the surface of the water, breaking and re-breaking the reflection of the trees. All is still. If you did not have the ears of an elf, you might almost think it was a peaceful scene.

Estarfin slapped his hand away, surprised and angered by his presumption. Parnard looked taken aback at the reaction, and sat back down next to the small fire, holding his hands out before the orange flames to warm them.

It was a good morning to go search for some fresh eggs. I had seen a wild hen walking around when we arrived, and there she was again. I do not think she was happy of me taking her eggs, but the Elves in the camp were waking up and there would be nothing better for them to have with their bread than eggs and some tea from Rivendell, from the very last leaves of it. I also used a kettle to get some cleaner looking water from the nearby stream – it would be all boiled, after all.

Talkale sat back in the leather chair, looking down at the letter with some pride. As usual the penmanship was perfect, the curved script that he used and the crisp, white paper pleasing to his practiced eye. Smiling with satisfaction, he read over the letter, sitting with his hands crossed in his lap.

Dear Lord Elrond,

I lie down and look at the rest of the company around me, and I felt each one being alone with their own thoughts. Lord Veryacano had told us to watch over the massive camp of dunlendings warriors while he considered Parnard's idea of sending his falcon down.

It seems to be hours since I left lord Estarfin and Turmagor to go to sleep. And still sleep evades me as the past two days events keep coming to my mind. Oh, alright, not all these days’ events. Just some of them.

How Parnard basically owes his life to the fact he was suffering from more than one arrow wounds to beginning with and how I didn’t noticed the state of Parnard’s ankle, which could have healed badly, provoking a permanent fragility of the joint, chronic pain and blood circulation problem.

Yesterday I was scouting when the others moved towards the woods. I was surprised to find them in a place where I did not expect – a mixed camp of rangers and rohirrim, and apparently a ranger woman had led them there. I rejoined the others there and fell asleep. In the morning I woke up with a wet touch of something when a horse was licking my face.

A new day was here, and I was once again hunting for some game for us to eat. I caught a boar, and I took some ribs from it, cooking it on a fire. I cutted the ribs to separate bones and served it to others. Lord Tindir hesitated at first. ”No more sausages, please”, he said. ”Sausages? I suppose they taste like that”, I said. I knew that some Men used boar for sausages, so I understood why he would say so.

I am lying on the ground somewhere in Dunland, trying to sleep next to some of the House of Vanimar, instead of my comfortable bed in Rivendell or Lórien. So how did this happen? When I first entered the house, the people I met after Lord Anglachelm were of the Order of Hammer. When the events started to go rough on them, I felt like I needed to make myself useful for them as a warrior that I am.

While sitting next to a bush, waiting to see if something else would happen, my thoughts were  going in circle over the events of the day. I already completed a list of the plants and healing supply I used and I was currently contemplating just leaving the camp on my own in search for some heal herbs that were quite easy to find in any area with no extreme weather.